


Chess

by lacewood



Series: Glimpse [5]
Category: Shaman King
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-10-30
Updated: 2010-10-30
Packaged: 2017-10-12 23:48:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 488
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/130504
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lacewood/pseuds/lacewood
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A conversation over a game of chess</p>
            </blockquote>





	Chess

"Interesting," he said thoughtfully, studying the pieces spread before him. Picking up his last black knight, he spun the piece absently - then looked up to add, "Do you really need to keep glaring at me like that? It's quite distracting."

Marco's glare grew, if anything, worse and he pushed his glasses up with a menacing glint. "Maiden-sama, I really cannot understand why you let this..."

"Now, Marco..." Jeanne interrupted. "It's just a game of chess." She smiled politely at Hao. "Please don't let him distract you. It's not that bad, really."

"I suppose not," Hao agreed, finally setting his piece down with a light clack against the chequered board. "After all, it's not like I'm not used to people wanting to kill me." Looking back at Jeanne, he smiled disarmingly. "I'm quite surprised you haven't tried to kill me yet, in fact. After all, the two of you _do_ have me outnumbered."

Jeanne looked shocked, then deeply wounded. "We would never do something so despicable," she said disapprovingly. "That would be against our Justice." Picking up a pawn, she studied the board and made her move swiftly.

"Ah... Justice." Hao watched his castle fall, and found himself contemplating a losing game - quite embarrassing, really, when you considered that he was playing against a ten year old girl.

Though then again, this was only his second game of chess - and the first time he'd played had been... five hundred years ago? In Germany, if he recalled correctly. Interesting, how some things hadn't changed, five hundred years later, two continents away. Human nature. The Shaman Fight. Chess.

Marco, who had turned an amusing shade of purple at Hao's suggestion of treachery, eyed the game and looked _slightly_ mollified.

Hao made another move - rather recklessly, this time, more to see what it would do than in any attempt to salvage the game. Jeanne watched, unperturbed, as he took her knight and looked at her, eyebrows raised. "Not a concept I have much faith in."

"You wouldn't, would you?" she murmured, and finally took his queen. She smiled. "Checkmate. That's why you can't win the Shaman Fight."

"Nicely done," Hao complimented and smiled in a way that made Marco stop the ridiculous posing the X-Laws seemed so terribly fond of and reach for his weapon. "I admit that tactics aren't really my strong point, but the Shaman Fight isn't about tactics, you know."

"Justice _will_ prevail," Jeanne said with the iron calm he supposed had earned her her name.

He gave a board a last glance and stood. "I guess that will have to depend on our next meeting, won't it? In the ring. I trust it'll have a very different outcome from today."

Marco snarled and drew his weapon then; Jeanne barely stopped him with a frown. Ignoring the small ruckus, Hao smiled and left.

Chess, life, war.

In the end, it was only a question of power.

 _end_

September 2003


End file.
